Alone
by Crystal Roads
Summary: Deceived by friends and hunted by strangers Alex Rider has never been more alone. He's serching for answers and the biggest question is whether or not he will survive his eighth misson! Please R&R! Crystal XxX
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series **

**Chapter One**

**Wolves Bite**

Alex felt isolated as he watched Sabina and Jack chatting easily. He played around with his fork and wished he could talk to Sabina with that much familiar-ism. Suddenly Jack stood up and began clearing away the plates. Sabina caught Alex's eye as Jack disappeared into the kitchen and suddenly he found the room draped in an uncomfortable silence. The truth was there wasn't anything left to say, both he and Sabina knew it. Alex could feel Sabina's bright blue eyes boring into his, willing him to say something. "Sabina…" he started before Sabina cut across him.

"I know what you're going to say Alex but I want you to know that if things were different…" She faltered and took a deep breath. Her eyes looked haunted in the half-light thrown by a small group of candles Jack had lit in the middle of the table. The kitchen door opened and Jack swept in again. Alex met Sabina's eyes and a look of understanding passed between them and when the night finally came to a close and Sabina was picked up again by her dad he knew that this was the last time he would see her. He had known it the moment he saw her eyes. Those deep sapphire eyes that were dulled with the burden that Alex and his world had placed on her. She was scared by Alex's world; it had brushed against her own life and left its mark and it had nearly cost her dearly. Alex could see her eyes glaze over with tears as she shut the car door. And he knew he could never let her be hurt again.

Alex woke early the next morning. The sky was a wash of grey with a wound of scarlet gaping across the horizon. He showered quickly and changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. As he made his way over to the stairs he paused at Jack's bedroom door. It was comforting, just stood there listening to the rhythmic rise and fall of her breath. Then he hurried down the stairs and fixed himself some breakfast. He glanced at the clock mounted on the kitchen wall beside the fridge. It had only just gone seven. Jack wouldn't be up for a while yet. Alex washed up his breakfast things then pulled on his trainers and pocketing his key opened the front door and stepped out into the crisp cold morning air.

Alex wasn't sure what he was doing but after the events of the night before he needed some time to order his thoughts. He barely noticed the Silver CL Class Coupe Mercedes Benz driving up behind him it's V12 unit, 5.5-liter engine barely whispering. Then suddenly it drew up beside him and one of the tinted windows lowered down electronically to reveal a figure cradling something in his arms. Alex's head whipped round and he caught the man's cold grey gaze. Then something hit him hard in the chest and everything went black.

Wolf opened the car door and caught Alex Rider before he hit the floor. He placed the unconscious boy on the backseat next to him and motioned to the driver to continue forward. He spoke into a small handheld radio. "This is Wolf. Operation Pick-Up successful. Waiting for further instruction." There was a pause and crackle of digital interference and then a detached calculating voice said.

"Continue to Liverpool Street."

**This is my first fan fiction! Hope you liked this chapter! I enjoyed writing it. Please review! Thanks for reading! X**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider Series**

**Chapter Two**

**Recognization and Realization**

When Alex woke up he found himself lying on a thin mattress on the floor of a small cell that was about two meters long and one meter wide. The walls and ceiling were whitewashed, the floor concrete. A naked bulb hung down over his head. Alex stood up unsteadily, his muscles sore from his sleep on the hard floor. He went over to the door. It was closed flush to the wall and when he turned the handle he wasn't surprised to find it was locked. He rubbed his eyes and blinked hard, trying to clear his thoughts. It felt like a fog had settled around his mind, making thinking hard. Suddenly the memory of what had happened before hit him and with it came a twinge of pain in his chest. He lifted his shirt and found a raw red mark about the size of a fifty pence piece just to the right of the scar that Scorpia had inflicted what felt like months ago but was really only a few weeks before. Alex ran his eyes over his wrists and spotted what he was looking for – a needle mark. He quickly pieced together what had happened. After he had been shot with what must have been a tranquilizer gun he had been injected with a hypodermic syringe, which was the reason why his thoughts were so scrambled. He thought back to the figure in the car. He remembered the man's cold calculating grey eyes but the rest of him was blurred, like he had seen him though a sheet of water. The first feelings of panic began to spark behind Alex's eyes but he took a deep breath, calming himself. Slowly he backed against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. There was nothing to do but wait.

Alan Blunt studied the screen in front of him. It showed a medium build boy slightly short for his age with fair hair and serious brown eyes slumped against the wall of a cell. He had been in this position for the last half an hour. Blunt turned to the man standing behind him. Wolf wasn't entirely sure how he had found himself here. He had never wanted to be drafted to MI6 but that was sometimes how it went although he was sure it was more than bad luck that had made him head of this particular mission. "Bring him up." Blunt instructed brusquely. Wolf nodded and made his way out of the room.

Alex straightened up, as there was the rasp of a bolt being pulled back on the door. His heart was pounding despite his efforts to force down his panic and fear. Then the door swung open to reveal a tall dark muscular man with close-cropped black hair, square shoulders and dark grey eyes. Alex recognized him immediately and his first thought was that MI6 had somehow known what had happened and had sent in the SAS to pull him out. However his mind had slowly been clearing ever since he had woken up and suddenly he realized that the man standing before him was the same man who had fired a tranquilizer dart into his chest. "Wolf." He gasped unable to stop himself.

"Hey Cub." Wolf replied quietly.

**Hi again. So anyway this is my second chapter! X**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Three**

**"Good morning you've reached the Royal and General Bank"**

Alex was in a daze as Wolf led him out of the cell and down a windowless sterile white corridor. He was struggling with the implication that perhaps Wolf was one of the 'bad guys'. He couldn't believe that. It was true that when Alex had first met Wolf at the SAS training facility in the Brecon Beacons he had been far from welcoming but that wasn't enough reason to consider him turning into a double agent. And that left him with one more idea. The idea that this directly had something to do with MI6. And he wasn't disappointed. They walked into a lift and Wolf lent across and pressed the button for the sixteenth floor. The doors slid shut and they began what felt like a long journey up. When the doors opened again it was to reveal another corridor this one lined with wooden doors. They walked along for a few doors until they came to the one marked 1605. Suddenly a new emotion broke through Alex's confusion. Anger wasn't an uncommon feeling for Alex whenever he stepped into this office at the London headquarters of MI6 which pretended to be the Royal and General bank but this time it was different. He bit back his fury and waited as Wolf knocked on the door. "Come in." The voice was empty of emotion, it almost sounded bored. Wolf opened the door and they walked in.

Alan Blunt was sat behind the same desk, in the same room, with the same window giving the same view over London that Alex remembered from all the times before. Blunt also looked the same as ever with his grey skin and hair and eyes and clothes. And Alex knew that if he ever had to have heart surgery then the surgeons would be appalled to find his heart was made of grey stone. "Good morning Alex please take a seat?"

Alex didn't trust himself to say anything and instead sat down. Miss Jones who was sat in her usual coner glanced at him and then went back to unwrapping a peppermint. "Alex we have a situation," Blunt said. "The day before yesterday when you left the office we got a phone call." He paused and then pressed a number on the grey phone that stood on the desk in front of him. For a moment nothing happened and then there was a click.

"_Good morning you have reached the Royal and General Bank how can I help you?"_

"_I'm looking for a Mr Alan Blunt."_

"_I'm sorry there is nobody of that name in this building. Can I re-direct your call?"_

"_No. Please patch me through to Mr Alan Blunt's office."_

"_There is no-one of that name here sir."_

"_Tell him it's regarding Alex Rider." _

There was a pause and a crackle of interference.

"_Who is this?" _

"_Is this Alan Blunt."_

A long pause.

"_Tell me about Alex Rider."_

"_I'll take that as a yes. Alex Rider is going to die." _

There was another click and the phone went dead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Four**

**Stryker**

There was a long silence. "Why didn't you just call me in?" Alex asked finally. All his anger had drained away. He felt like he was in shock.

"We didn't know if you were being watched. Your phone line might have been tapped. If they knew we had contacted you they might have gone through with their promise." Blunt intoned. There wasnt a scrap of emotion in his voice.

"But why did you have to shoot me with a tranquilizer dart and inject me with a hypodermic syringe?" Alex shot back.

Wolf shuffled uncomfortably behind him. Blunt raised an eyebrow. "It was necessary." Miss Jones said quickly glancing at her superior. Alex wanted to argue but before he could say anything Blunt started talking again.

"By coincidence an interesting situation just came up in Manchester. There is a school near Blackley called North Manchester High School for Boys. It's a Specialist Visual Arts and Media School with excellent facilities for design, art, science, sport…" Blunt sounded like he was reading out of a brochure. "Anyway recently they acquired a new teacher on their staff, a Mr. James Stryker."

Blunt passed Alex a colour photograph that had suddenly appeared from a folder that had been lying on the desk in front of him. Alex studied it. James Stryker was young and handsome with jet-black hair and pale golden eyes. He was slight but muscular. He had been photographed leaving a tall blue building that Alex guessed was the North Manchester High School for Boys. He was wearing jeans and a Manchester United t-shirt.

"He's their new football coach and apparently he's been a huge success already." Blunt paused and gave Alex another photograph. It showed another man. He was the same build as Stryker but with a different face, light brown hair and blue eyes.

"This is Christophe Grève." Alex's head snapped up. "His name translates to Christopher Strike. He was a football coach at a French school in Bordeaux. He stayed for one term. Five boys went missing during his time there. We believe Christophe Grève is James Stryker. There have been eight more separate…incidents all over the world and each of the men involved had second names that roughly translated into strike or striker in English. Over fifty boys have gone missing. None of them have anything in common except the fact that they all played football. None of them have been heard of since they went missing." Blunt explained. Alex knew what was coming next.

"Now I've heard you've got reasonable talent on the football pitch." He didn't expect an answer and Alex didn't give him one. "So what I propose is that while we investigate this phone call, for you to go in undercover at this school, get onto their football team and find out what you can about Stryker. It'll be a lot safer for you." Alex considered. Really he didn't need to think about it. This was just like the time he had been sent to Skeleton Key. That time he had been hiding from a Chinese triad set on assassinating him. He sighed. It seemed like MI6 always got what they wanted. "Okay Mr Blunt who am I this time?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Five**

**Smithers**

"You're new name is Alex Sterling. You've just moved into a small two-floor house on Charlestown Road, which is a short walk from the school. You live with your father Jason Sterling who is a journalist. Your mother Rosanna Sterling used to be an artist. She died in a hit and run accident when you were three years old. At least that is what you'll tell everyone. From the age of one to six you lived in Cornwall and then you moved to Paris for two years before moving to Aberdeen for eighteen months and then finally moving to London. You've spent nearly six years here and now you're moving to Manchester. We've got an entire history made up for you, which you will need to memorise which includes past schools, friends, pets, relatives, homes and holidays. Everything has been backstopped and we're confident that this disguise is airtight. Just as long as you don't give yourself away." Blunt paused and ran an eye over the boy in front of him. "We won't have to change your appearance too drastically but a change of hair colour and some contacts would be a good idea." He stopped talking and Alex took this all in.

"One question," he said. "Whose Jason Sterling?" Wolf moved behind Alex and looked down at him, grinning. "Me," he said.

A little while later Alex found himself in yet another familiar room facing a grinning Mr. Smithers. "Hello dear boy. So nice to see you! Like the new hair. I take it you've been to see Lisa." Alex grimaced and ran a hand through his newly dyed light brown hair. He and Wolf had been taken to a smiling young woman – Lisa - who specialised in disguising MI6 agents. Alex's hair had been dyed and he had been given green contacts to wear. Then it was Wolf's turn. His hair had been dyed a slightly darker shade of brown to Alex's and had been given hazel brown contacts to wear. It wasn't a particular amazing transformation but Alex was reassured it was enough. And now here he was again, a new mission and with it a new collection of gadgets.

"Now then. I've had some quite wonderful ideas since we last met Alex but it's all been a bit of a rush. But I have managed to rustle up a few things." He opened a drawer in his desk and took out a slim silver laptop computer. "This as you can probably see is a laptop. There's not much special about it apart from the fact it's got a twenty-four hour connection with the World Wide Web and it doesn't need charging. There's a web cam hidden in the casing above the screen, which can be activating by pressing ctrl, alt and W and deactivated in the same way. Activating the web cam will give you a direct link to MI6 headquarters where you can have a chat with Miss Jones or Mr Blunt. Oh and also if you're in trouble hit ctrl, alt and H, which will send out an immediate panic signal from the disk in the disk drive. Just take the disk with you and we'll be able to track you down. You can send the emergency signal without the laptop being turned on." Alex took the laptop and ran a hand down it admiringly. It always surprised him how Smithers managed to fit so many gadgets in everyday objects. Smithers had delved back into the drawer and re-emerged with a watch. It was small and silver like the laptop.

"This watch is rather special. It's not much to look at but it's completely shockproof and if you turn the little silver dial by the watch face twice clockwise and once anticlockwise it sets of a ten second fuse. Same concept as the keyring I sent you to Cayo Esqueleto with. Count to ten and it'll will release a gas sufficient to knock out a fully-grown adult up to twenty meters." Alex accepted the watch and slipped it onto his wrist. Smithers closed the drawer and stood up. "Sorry I haven't got anything else for you but I wasn't given much warning. It was nice to see you again though!" Alex got to his feet. "Thanks Mr Smithers." He said shaking the man's podgy hand. "Any time old bean!" Alex turned to leave but as he opened the door Smithers called to him. "Oh and by the way, do try to come back in one piece. I quite like having you around!"

**... **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Six**

**Charlestown Road**

Two days later an internal flight touched down at Manchester Airport. There were not many people on the flight and the first people off were a father and son. Their passports identified them as Jason and Alex Sterling. They quickly swept through arrivals and picked up their two suitcases before flagging down a taxi to Charlestown Road near Blackley. The drive took just over half an hour. Jason Sterling paid the taxi driver and then they made their way over to a low-rise red brick house with uniform terracotta tiles. It looked almost exactly like the houses on either side. Jason unlocked the peeling green painted door and stepped into the hallway.

Alex followed Wolf into the short narrow passageway. The floor was bare wood with rusted nails sticking up at intervals, the walls covered in mud brown wallpaper. He soon discovered the bottom floor was made up of only three small rooms, a living room, a kitchen and a tiny bathroom. The living room had a mottled red carpet, the same brown wallpaper as the hallway and dark blue curtains. The only furniture was two blue armchairs and a low pine coffee table. In the far left corner were two electricity sockets. The small kitchen next door had a cracked tiled floor and bare undecorated walls. It seemed to contain the absolute bare minimum of cooking appliances and half of them were so old and stained with use that they looked like they might break the moment you touched them. The bathroom that stood behind a further door was also tiled with cream painted walls, a toilet and a sink.

There was a set of stairs in the downstairs hallway that led up to an uncarpeted landing, with more murky brown wallpaper. There was a bathroom, slightly larger than the one downstairs with a shower as well as a toilet and sink and two bedrooms. Both bedrooms had stained green carpeting and cream walls. The larger of the two contained a wardrobe, desk and bed and had a window that faced out onto the street while the smaller had only a wardrobe and bed and a window that actually looked out over the sprawling mass of modern buildings that was North Manchester High School for Boys. Alex soon realized this was going to be his bedroom and he hurriedly unpacked. Once he had finished he went over to the window, pulled back the yellowed curtains and stared out at the school. He could only see the front part of the school but he could tell it was a massive complex. The front parking lot looked large enough to park ten jet engines. Suddenly Wolf called from downstairs and Alex dropped the curtain and made his way downstairs.

"What do you think?" Wolf asked grinning. It was odd. The SAS man's name suited him. Even when he smiled there seemed to be a certain wolf-like malice behind it.

Alex shrugged. "It's better than where I stayed in Bangkok." He remarked. Wolf's lips twitched. He checked his watch.

"It's lunchtime. Are you hungry Cub?" Alex nodded. "Right. I'll just pop out and get us some food. Did you bring a book or something?" Alex dipped his head in a noncommittal way and sat down as Wolf left the room. A moment later the door swung shut and Alex was left to his thoughts.

He hadn't been allowed home during the last two days although Jack had been allowed to visit and bring him clothes and anything else he needed. Alex had passed his time reading a thick file that detailed the entire fourteen years of Alex Sterling's fake life. He had memorized the file as best he could and was confident that he could hold off any unwelcome questions without suspicion. But his mind wasn't focused on the mission at that particular moment. He was thinking about the mysterious phone call that had been made to MI6 headquarters. Although he would never admit it he was worried. He had been trying to think who it might have been but the only people he could think of were Scorpia who had been warned off by MI6 already. He frowned turning the phone conversation over and over in his head. He remembered the cold emotionless voice. _Alex Rider is going to die. _He couldn't stop a chill going down his back. He was just going to have to hope that MI6 could find out who had made the threat before it was too late.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Seven**

**Back To School**

The next day was a Monday and Alex's first day at North Manchester High School for Boys. He made sure to be up for seven and then took a quick shower before getting changed. He had been surprised to learn that he didn't need to wear any uniform and so he swapped the normal blazer, shirt and trousers of a school uniform for a pair of jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt and a quicksilver hooded jacket. Then he went downstairs, grabbing his schoolbag as he went. It didn't contain much, just a pencil case and his football kit.

Wolf was already up and eating breakfast when Alex entered the living room. Alex muttered a good morning and Wolf nodded absently. Alex went into the kitchen and hunted around in the cupboards before finally finding the box of cereal Wolf had brought the day before. He joined Wolf in the living room and they ate in silence. Once Alex had finished eating and washed up his bowl he realized that it was only quarter to eight. He had a whole fifty-five minutes before school started and it would only take him a moment to get there. Wolf was reading a newspaper when he re-entered the living room but put it down as he walked in. "You haven't got school for nearly an hour," he remarked.

Alex nodded. As he sat down Wolf slid an envelope across the table towards him. "This weeks lunch money," he muttered. "Courtesy of Alan Blunt." Alex opened the envelope. A crisp five pound note and a two pound coin fell out into his hand. Obviously Alan Blunt didn't have any idea how much school lunches cost. He pocketed the money and then looked up at Wolf who was staring at him in a very un-nerving way. He wasn't entirely sure where the two of them stood. The older man had been making some kind of an effort to be human at least. "What are you going to do today? Any big stories breaking?" Alex asked.

Wolf didn't seem to appreciate the joke. "I've got some research to do." Alex nodded seriously and Wolf returned to his paper. It was obvious he wasn't going to say anything more and Alex didn't press him. The minutes ticked by. Alex wondered if Wolf had any family. Maybe he had a wife and children. Alex dismissed this idea. He couldn't see Wolf as the maternal sort. Before Alex knew it, it was time to leave. He stood up and throwing a quick goodbye Wolf's way he hurried out into the hallway and pulled on his trainers. Wolf listened as the front door banged shut behind Alex. He waited for a few minutes and then folded up his newspaper and slipped out onto the street himself. He glanced in the direction of the turning that led to the school and caught a glimpse of Alex before he disappeared around the corner. Wolf let out a breath and then set off behind him.

Alex was shivering as he made his way across the car park. It was a typical frosty winter's morning and even his thick jumper couldn't keep out the cold. He was grateful for the warmth as he stumbled through the sliding doors and into the heated foyer of the school. He glanced around taking in the immaculate cream carpet, the neat prints in wooden frames hanging on the peach coloured walls, a number of cream coloured padded chairs next to a low pine table covered in glossy brochures, magazines and newspapers and the large curving oak desk behind which sat a number of office staff typing at computers, speaking on phones and rifling through various folders. There were three doors leading out of the room. One was a disabled toilet, the other was behind the desk and unmarked and the third led beyond the foyer into the main school. Alex wandered over to the desk. A young blonde woman looked up at him with flushed pale blue eyes. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes. I'm a new student…" Alex began.

"One moment," the woman said and typed something on her keyboard. "You must be Alex Sterling," she said and then continued without waiting for an answer. "Please take a seat and the Head Master will be with you in a moment." Alex sat down on one of the padded chairs.

A few moments later the door behind the desk opened and a tall slight man with thinning black hair and round wire framed spectacles walked in with a skinny brown haired boy trailing behind him. The man came over to Alex, who had risen to his feet, and shook his hand. "Good Morning Mr. Sterling. Good to see you nice and early. My name is Mr. Taylor and I'm the Head Master. This is Adam. You'll be shadowing his timetable for the first few weeks until we can decide where you're at. Okay?"

Alex wasn't sure how to respond. "That sounds great Mr Taylor thank you," he finally managed. The Head Master nodded.

"Right well I'll be seeing you around I'm sure. Good luck on your first day Alex." And with that he was gone.

Adam stepped forward. "Hi Alex. I'm Adam," he said.

"Hi Adam. I'm Alex," Alex said and Adam smiled.

"Come on. Lets sort you out a locker."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Eight**

**Centre Forward**

North Manchester High School for Boys is a very large school and Alex was grateful that he had Adam to show him around. All the teachers were strict but helpful and all greeted Alex with the same cheerful tone and well worn smile. He was pleasantly suprised to find that he was reasonably familiar with the subjects they were covering and that most of the other boys were willing to hep if Alex needed it.

Adam seemed to know everyone in the school. He was the goalie for the school football team and got on well with all of the other players. He was naturally laid back and was forever cracking bad jokes. He had one of those personalities that people were just naturally drawn to. Alex secretly envied him, thinking about all the friends he had lost at Brookland because of MI6. Despite this however the two of them quickly became friends and at the end of the school day Adam took Alex to football practise.

When Alex caught sight of James Stryker he felt a twinge of unease. This was a man who MI6 suspected of being involved with over fifty kidnappings. However Stryker greeted him warmly enough. "Alex!" He exclaimed. "I hear you want to try out as centre forward. Well you're in luck. Our centre forward just moved away and we have a space to fill. Let's see what you've got!" Alex was sent into the changing room along with the other boys and he suddenly realised he had a problem. He couldn't get changed without the other boys noticing his bullet wound scar. He knew that if they glimpsed it there were going to be awkward questions and his mission might be over before it began. Luckily he was stood in the corner so he managed to get changed with his back to the others without arousing suspicion.

Out on the plying field Stryker pointed everyone to their positions and then blew his whistle and threw a slightly battered looking football into the pitch. The practise went on for over an hour and Alex gave it everything he had. He managed to score four goals, one a particularly impressive header and when the final whistle blew he was confident that he had done enough to get him onto the team. Stryker called them over.

"Great work everyone. It's looking good out there. Sterling you're in. Centre forward." Alex surprised himself at how pleased he was to have made it onto the team.

"Thanks Coach!" He said trying not to sound too happy.

Adam came over to him as they walked back into the changing room. "Wow! You were brilliant out there! Our old centre forward barely knew where the goal was!" Alex only just managed to force back a grin.

"Thanks Adam but I'm not that good!" He said. Adam raised his eyebrows.

A little while later Alex stepped into the house he and Wolf were staying in on Charlestown road and kicked off his trainers. "Wolf?" He called out. There was no reply. That was odd. The door had been unlocked. Suddenly Alex was on guard. He dropped his bag and put one hand over his watch as he crept towards the living room door. Suddenly a hand came down on his shoulder and he spun round ready to deliver a powerful karate strike. It was Wolf.

"Jeez! Don't you ever answer when someone calls your name?" Alex exclaimed. Wolf stared at him with obvious frustration in his eyes.

"Alex you need to call me Dad whenever you walk in like that. Anyone could have been here with me!" He said impatiently.

"Sorry Wolf I wasn't thinking." Alex replied, realizing his mistake.

"That's obvious!" Wolf muttered. Alex decided to ignore this comment.

"By the way I made it onto the football team." The impatience in Wolf's eyes evaporated.

"That's good. What did you think of Stryker?" He asked. Alex thought about the young man who had coached him that afternoon.

"He was just a normal coach only a little less demanding." He said truthfully. "But that doesn't mean much," he continued. "Miss Rothman was perfectly pleasant to me while she was secretly plotting to kill me." He said. Wolf half smiled.

"Sometimes I know how she felt," he growled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Nine**

**Inbox**

Alex woke in the small hours the next morning. The sky was an angry mixture of purple and dark grey. He groped around for his watch which lay in the dusky darkness of his bedside table. It was quarter to six. He groaned. He lay on his back for a few minutes with his eyes closed trying to slip back into the warm darkness of sleep. Finally with a second disgruntled moan he threw back the bedcover and got dressed. His schoolbag was already packed. He roughly made his bed then took his laptop from its hiding place below the wardrobe.

He turned the laptop on and was surprised when the desktop popped up – fully loaded – less than two seconds later. He swept an eye over the items and clicked on the blue 'e' labelled Internet. The window opened immediately onto the Google search engine. He typed in Scorpia on impulse. Several links popped up. Most of them led to a site called Scorpia's Gaming Lair with no reference to the criminal organisation he knew Scorpia to be. He exited the webpage and checked his emails instead. There was one new email in his inbox, the sender marked as unknown. He didn't even hesitate as he opened the message. Why should he? An ominous shiver ran down his spine as he read.

Wolf scanned the email quickly. It only consisted of one sentence.

_Welcome to the game Alex Rider._

He glanced at the boy behind him. He was standing completely rigid, his face empty of colour as he re-read the sentence over Wolf's shoulder.

"What does it mean?" He asked. Wolf shrugged.

"I don't know but I don't think the person who sent it was a friend," he paused. "I'll contact Mr Blunt but you shouldn't worry. These people can't know where you are."

"I'm not worried about me. What about Jack? And everyone at Brookland. Are they safe?" Alex replied, his voice tight.

"MI6 won't let anything happen to them. Like I said, you needn't worry. Everything's being taken care of." Wolf said. He was impressed with how Alex was taking this. The boy was in complete control, his eyes didn't betray his fear even if his tense body language did. "I wouldn't open any unknown emails again until this situation is dealt with." Wolf said in a voice that told Alex it was a suggestion he expected to be strictly enforced.

He shut the laptop down and left the room. Alex picked up his watch. It wasn't even quarter past six yet. He sat down on the bed and stared out at the sprawling mass of North Manchester High School for Boys.

He sat for a while, his thoughts unbroken and then wandered out through Wolf's empty bedroom. He found the SAS man in the living room staring out the window holding a mobile phone. He turned to Alex. His face was grim.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Ten**

**Night Visitors**

"Adam Goldman has been reported missing," Wolf said in a flat tone. Alex stared at him. Several long minutes passed in silence. Alex swore under his breath. Wolf didn't seem to hear him or if he did he didn't acknowledge it.

"What happens now?" Alex asked. Wolf was again surprised about how Alex was taking this news. The boy in front of him was completely different to the one he had met all those months ago at the Brecon Beacons. For a second Wolf felt a twinge of sorrow but he forced it down.

"Nothing. There isn't anything tying Stryker to the disappearance. All we know is that Adam didn't arrive home last night. His parents rang around to see if he was with any of his friends but no-one has seen him since football practise yesterday. They drove around looking for him, then went home and when he still hadn't come back at eleven pm they rang the police. An investigation has been launched but there's no news of him yet."

Alex was silent as he digested this information. When he spoke his voice was coloured with quiet anger. "So we do nothing." It was a statement, not a question. Wolf didn't say anything as the boy turned on his heel and left the living room, slamming the door behind him.

Two hours later Alex came back into the living room to find Wolf finishing off a piece of toast, a book resting on his lap. "I was just about to come and get you. School starts in ten minutes. You better hurry and get some breakfast." He said in a light tone.

"I'm not hungry." Alex said quietly and sat down on one of the faded blue armchairs, dropping his schoolbag at his feet. He glanced at Wolf and could tell the older man was about to say something.

"You can't let this get personal Alex. I know you got friendly with this boy…" He trailed off. "I just think you need to keep your guard up. This is going to happen again and if you can't accept that then you need to go home." Alex was surprised at Wolf's harsh tone even though he had to accept he was right. He took a deep breath and nodded. Wolf seemed satisfied and picked up his book again.

Alex left a few moments later without interrupting him.

The day passed quickly. It had begun to rain during the last period and by the time the end of school bell had rung it was hammering down. Alex arrived back at the house completely soaked through. "Dad!" He called out remembering the previous day.

"I'm in the living room," was his reply. Alex pushed open the living room door to find Wolf occupying his usual armchair. His hair was damp as if he had just had a shower.

"You're wet," remarked Wolf.

"You don't say," Alex said dryly. Wolf didn't answer and Alex went upstairs to take a shower.

Once Alex had showered and pulled on some dry clothes he came back down to the living room and started to work on his surprisingly large amount of homework. Once he had finished he noticed Wolf was staring at him over the top of his book.

"I've read your file." He said suddenly catching Alex off guard. "It's pretty impressive."

"Glad you liked it," Alex muttered. Wolf's lips twitched with amusement.

"I was interested to hear you shot the prime minister." He said.

"That was an accident," Alex said quickly. He wanted to move of the subject.

Suddenly Wolf looked serious. "I was surprised to hear about your…injury." Alex knew he was referring to his bullet wound. "You shouldn't have been in active service so quickly afterwards." Alex nodded and was relived when Wolf didn't question him any further.

Later after a hastily cooked dinner Alex bid Wolf goodnight before going upstairs and falling into bed fully clothed. His mind was spinning with the events of that day. He was unsure what to worry about – Stryker or the unknown people hunting him down. He led wide awake for a long while.

Suddenly there was an almighty bang as the front door crashed open and the sound of raised voices. Alex rolled out of bed and moved over to his door. He could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. From downstairs Wolf yelled something inaudible. The bedroom door slammed open.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Eleven**

**Extra Protection**

Alex had moved instinctively into a combat stance as the door was flung open but could immediately tell the figure standing in the doorway was unarmed. A surge of relief shot through him but he didn't let his guard down. People didn't just break down your front door for nothing. Suddenly the figure reached out and flicked on the light switch. Alex was forced to squint as harsh electrical light flooded the room and a second later he had been grabbed firmly by the shoulders. He started to react instantly bringing his leg around in a curve that should have knocked his assailant's feet out from underneath him. At the last moment however the man leapt back releasing him.

"What'd you do that for?" A hurt voice demanded. There was something familiar about the voice and taking his first proper look at the man Alex recognised him immediately.

"Eagle?" He said warily.

"The very same!" The man grinned taking a bow. Then he straightened up and rearranged his features into a hurt expression again. "So why'd you take a swipe at me Cub?"

Before Alex could answer him Wolf had entered the room looking furious with two men - who Alex quickly identified as Snake and Ben Daniels who was otherwise known as Fox – following closely behind him. Eagle visibly paled as he took in the thunderous look on Wolf's face.

"What the hell is going on," Wolf growled in a strangely calm voice. It was Ben who answered, seemingly unfazed by Wolf's murderous gaze.

"MI6 sent us," he said simply.

"It's a happy family reunion!" Eagle added gleefully.

"Yeah, well, you've probably just shot our cover clear out of the water," Wolf muttered darkly.

"Nah! People will just think Jason Sterling has invited a few journalist friends over," Eagle replied bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Alex who had been watching the exchange with weak amusement cleared his throat. "Why'd MI6 send you Ben?" He asked. Snake and Eagle exchanged surprised looks that he knew Ben's real name.

"MI6 received a letter today. It was typed, unsigned. It just turned up on Alan Blunt's desk. Nobody knows where it came from…" Ben trailed off. As he had been speaking the tone of the room had changed. Eagle and Snake both looked increasingly serious. Wolf was repeatedly glancing from Ben to Alex, waiting for one of them to say something.

"What's it got to do with me?" Alex asked feeling nervous. Ben didn't answer but slid a folded piece of white paper from his pocket and handed it over. Alex unfolded it and read the neat typed words.

_The Games Have Begun_

He looked back up at Ben. "And MI6 think this is something to do with the email I got this morning?" Ben nodded.

Wolf came over and read the sentence over Alex's shoulder before looking back at Ben.

"MI6 sent you to deliver that," he raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Not exactly. They've decided Alex needs some extra protection. We are going to provide that." Ben explained.

"How are you going to manage that?" Wolf asked. His eyes were narrowed as if he was trying to perceive the answer from somewhere on the other mans face. Ben hesitated sightly before replying.

"The living room is big enough for a few sleeping bags isnt it?"

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I have a bad cold so I bet it's really rubbish. I'll go over it when I'm better. Thanks Crystal X **


	12. Chapter 12

**Dislcaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twelve **

**Broken Bowls**

Alex woke early the next morning after a broken nights sleep. He was tired but somehow he couldn't keep his eyes shut. He looked at his watch which he had neglected to take off his wrist when he finally fell into bed the night before. It was quarter to seven. Wolf would already be downstairs. He slipped out from under the bed cover and quickly got changed. Impulsively he reached for his laptop and powered it up. Once again he was surprised by the speed of which it loaded. He opened his emails and wasn't surprised to find that there were no new messages. He shut the laptop down and made his way downstairs.

A gentle buzz of conversation reached out to greet Alex as he padded down into the hallway. He stood by the living room door but couldn't make out what was being said. The voices lapsed into silence as he pushed open the door and walked in.

Wolf was occupying his usual armchair with Snake sitting in the other absorbed in a well thumbed medical book. Ben was crouched on the floor with a newspaper spread out in front of him, nursing a cup of coffee while Eagle – from the muffled crashes and cursing coming from the kitchen – was attempting to locate breakfast.

"Morning," Alex muttered walking past the three men in the direction of the kitchen. There was an undistinguished reply from Ben while Wolf remained silent and Snake continued to read.

Eagle looked up with a pained look on his face as Alex entered the kitchen. "Is there anything edible in this kitchen?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "Wolf does the shopping," he explained delving into the fridge and taking out a carton of orange juice.

Eagle looked aghast. "He doesn't do the cooking as well does he?"

Alex narrowed his eyes questioningly. "Yes. Why?"

By now Eagle looked distinctly horrified and Alex wasn't sure whether he was joking or not. "But…but you're still alive!" He managed to gasp and Alex grinned uncertainly and took the box of cereal out of the cupboard. Eagle's look of dismay vanished as he spotted the box and he hurried forward. "Food!" He exclaimed.

Alex grinned again. "The bowls are over there," he pointed to another cupboard before retuning to the fridge and taking out the milk. He shook the carton and frowned slightly. "Did you get an allowance?" He asked Eagle. "Wolf only gets fifteen pounds a week for food which is barely enough for the two of us let alone five people."

"Yeah. That Jones woman gave Snake some money I think…" Eagle straightened up from taking the bowls out of the cupboard and there was a bang as the top of his head connected with the worktop. He swore loudly and dropped the bowls which not only smashed but also added another crack to the tiled floor. Alex attempted to stifle the laugh that rose in his throat but only succeeded in turning it into an awkward cough. Eagle glared at him as he stepped out from the carnage of the broken bowls, rubbing his head and huffing angrily. Alex grimaced apologetically and quickly set about picking up the larger fragments of broken china.

The crash had drawn the attention of the other SAS men who had all somehow squeezed into the tiny kitchen to observe the damage. "They were our only bowls…" Wolf said with mock sadness watching Alex sweep the smaller pieces of china into his hand.

**Here it is. The long awaited Chapter Twelve. Sorry it's short but have lots of revison to do! Working on Chapter Thirteen so it should be up soon! X **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Dark Alleyways and ****why you should Never use Them**

A few minutes later they had all retreated back into the living room. Wolf and Snake settled into the armchairs once more while Ben resumed his crouched stance on the floor. Alex leant against the wall and watched with mild amusement as Eagle sat himself down on the arm of Wolf's chair. Wolf promptly grabbed the back of his t-shirt and dumped him unceremoniously on the floor. Both Ben and Snake looked over and grinned.

"So what's your cover story?" Alex cut in and all four men looked at him.

"We're visiting from London." Eagle replied simply. Wolf frowned slightly.

"What am I supposed to call you?" Alex asked glancing from one man to another.

"I'm Danny, Eagle is Brad and Snake is Marcus," Ben replied and Snake winced a little.

They lapsed into silence and Alex was glad when it was finally time to leave. He stepped out into the rain and began to jog along the pavement.

He turned into the long narrow alleyway that led from the street to the car park and continued to jog along its length. The ground was littered with pieces of glass and several rusted rubbish cans were pushed up against the heavily graphitised walls. All of a sudden a large figure stepped out from the shadows in front of him. Alex stopped abruptly. The man raised his hand and the weak sunlight glinted off the barrel of his handgun.

The weapon was a Glock 17Pro. It was the same as the normal Glock 17 except it had been improved with factory tritium night sights, an extended, threaded barrel, marine spring cups, a modified magazine release and extended slide release, extended +2 magazine base plates, a 3.5 lb force connector and a factory Glock pouch. All of this useless information ran through Alex's head as he stared at the cold black barrel. Suddenly he realised the man was talking.

"Turn around." The voice was commanding and cold. Alex glanced at the man's masked face. "I said turn around!" Alex hesitated, unwilling to expose his back to the gunman. Suddenly a bullet slammed into the ground beside his foot. He turned around.

A van had pulled up at the entrance to the alleyway where it was waiting, its engine idling. "Move!" The voice said behind him and Alex felt the all too familiar jab of the gun at the base of his neck. He began to walk.

**Tut tut. My shortest chapter yet... Nm. If you want regular updates then they're gonna have to be short. Sorry but have lots of revision to do. :( Crystal X **

**Okay just re-read this chapter and it really is crap. Meh. Maybe i'll change it maybe I wont... Oh and Jusmine I did change the title. Twice actualy. I don't know what to call it anymore so suggestions are welcome! Thanks for your review! Crystal X **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series **

_To make thing easier for me I've called the guy Glock._

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Combat**

Alex knew he had to act quickly. He cleared his head, took a deep breath and then whirled around. He rammed his palm into his Glock's face and felt a satisfying crunch as the man's nose shattered. He followed up the palm strike with a blow to the stomach but it barely winded Glock who swung his gun round in a lethal arc. Alex stumbled as the weapon slammed into the side of his head but recovered quickly and struck out again. He was too slow however and the blow merely glanced off of Glock's muscular shoulder. The man instantly retaliated, this time bringing the gun up in a sweeping movement that would have broken Alex's jaw had he not stepped back in time.

The sound of the van door opening and shutting told them that another person had joined the fight. Alex used this temporary distraction to drive his elbow into the side of Glock's head with such force that he was sure he had fractured his skull. The man crumpled like a piece of paper and crashed down onto the concrete.

There was a crack and a bullet tore past Alex, grazing his shoulder. He swung round to face the second assailant but only in time to watch as Wolf stepped up behind him and took him out with a heavy blow to the back of his head. For a moment neither of them moved and then Eagle, Snake and Ben appeared behind Wolf. They took in the scene silently and then Snake hurried up to Alex with Wolf in tow while Eagle and Ben began methodically searching the two masked and unconscious men.

"You okay Cub?" Wolf asked with real concern in his voice. Before Alex could answer Snake had ordered him to take off his shirt.

"Come on!" He said impatiently. "I have to clean up this bullet wound."

He frowned as Alex dragged his t-shirt over his head. His right shoulder was covered in blood but the thing that had drawn Snake's attention was the small scar directly above the kids heart. He decided not to mention it now and instead set about cleaning Alex's fresh wound with a bottle of anti-sceptic. Once he had finished he wrapped Alex's shoulder in a roll of sterile white gauze.

"You're lucky it's only a graze," Snake told him as Alex pulled his blood stained shirt back over his head. Alex gave him a nod of acknowledgment and glanced at Ben and Eagle who had just completed their checks of the two men. Wolf followed his gaze.

"What have you got?" He called out and Eagle jogged over.

" A Glock 17Pro, Taurus Millennium PT145 and a butterfly knife. No wallets, no ID. The van's clean," he reeled off the information at a speed Alex wouldn't have thought possible before handing over the two handguns and the switchblade.

Wolf turned to Alex. "Go home."

Alex frowned but the tone of the SAS man's voice told him that arguing wasn't an option. This was a different man than the one who had been laughing around with his team mates only a few minutes before. He turned to leave but at the last moment Wolf caught hold of him. "Don't be afraid to use that watch," he growled.

**Yay! A longer chapter! Been working on this since yesterday. Hope you like! Crystal X **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Fifteen**

**A Violent Reaction**

Wolf watched Alex until he had disappeared round the turning leading back out onto the street.

"Fox! Eagle!" He said suddenly and the two men stood to attention. "We need our two friends here put into the back of that van before someone comes along." Fox and Eagle nodded and hurried over to the two prone figures.

Wolf turned to Snake. "Call Headquarters. Tell them there are two unconscious suspects in the back of a white Vauxhall Vivaro SWB van." The tall pale man nodded and immediately took a slim silver mobile phone out of his pocket. Wolf watched him hit speed dial and lift the phone to his ear before turning his attention to the three weapons Eagle had given him.

He quickly snapped open the two handguns and counted fourteen rounds of live 9mm ammunition in the Glock and nine live .45 ACP cartridges in the Taurus Millennium. Both guns and the switchblade were in top condition. By the time he had finished his evaluation of the weapons, the others had finished their assigned tasks.

"A pick up team will be here in three hours to collect the van and suspects." Snake told Wolf. He looked distracted, his brow furrowed. Wolf could tell he was thinking hard.

"Both suspects secure," Ben reported gesturing to the locked Vauxhall van.

"Good work." Wolf said briskly. "We'll do a walk past every half an hour until the collection team arrive. After that it's not our responsibility."

He led the way out of the alley and back to the house.

Alex was waiting for them in the hall. He had changed out of his bloodstained shirt. "So?" He said pointedly. "What was that about?"

"We think this...incident may be connected to Stryker but we'll know more once MI6 has had a little chat with our two friends," Ben explained tiredly as they all wandered into the living room. He quickly collapsed into one of the faded armchairs while Eagle claimed the other one.

Alex nodded. Wolf suddenly noticed how pale he looked, his brown eyes shadowed in pain.

"What happens now?" He asked.

"We wait for news," Wolf answered suddenly fixing him with a piercing gaze. "And you take some painkillers and get your head down."

Alex nodded, too tired to argue.

The minute Alex had disappeared upstairs Snake turned to Wolf. "Do you have his file?"

Wolf nodded warily.

"Could you bring it down here please?"

Wolf considered arguing, after all it was classified but noticing the hardness in the other man's eyes he hastened to fetch the thick official looking folder from his bedroom.

Snake flicked through the pages violently, his expression becoming more unreadable by the minute. Finally he slammed the file shut and threw it down on the coffee table.

"Shit!" He exclaimed furiously. For a second he looked like he might hurl the coffee table across the room but instead he stomped noisily out into the kitchen. The sound of breaking china rang through the house a few seconds later.

Eagle winced.

"Am I missing something?"

**Sorry it's been so long since I updated and sorry it's another short chapter but time is in short supply recently. Will try and update twice a week but no promises and updates are going to probably be short. :( Crystal X**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Sixteen **

**In Which We Discover Snake's Real Name**

Snake stormed back into the living room a few moments later, his eyes blazing in anger. "How could they do that to him?" He growled furiously.

"Do what to him?" Eagle asked but everyone ignored him.

"He's fourteen bloody years old! Fourteen! And he's been on five missions in less than a year! He got shot by a god damn sniper for Christs sake!" Snake continued irately.

"He got what?" Eagle exclaimed and when he was ignored again he snatched up the file and flipped it open.

"And nobody thought to tell me did they? No. Nobody thought it might be a good idea to tell his team medic when he's shot two bloody centimeters above his heart!" Snake punctuated his last sentence by punching the wall violently, denting the plaster.

Wolf and Ben exchanged looks. They had never seen Snake this angry before.

"We know it's wrong Luke but there is nothing anyone can do. MI6 are his legal guardians after all." Ben said tiredly.

The room lapsed into silence.

After a few minutes Ben got to his feet.

"I'll do the first walk past." He said wearily and wandered out into the hall. A moment later the front door slammed shut.

"I better go and get some food." Wolf said suddenly. "I'll just check on Alex before I go."

If Snake or Eagle were surprised by this fatherly announcement or the use of Alex's real name then neither of them showed it.

Wolf hurried up the stairs and made his way to Alex's room. He opened the door carefully and glanced inside.

Alex was lying on the bed with his back to Wolf, his breathing shallow and regular, obviously asleep. Wolf stared at him for a few moments, a small frown playing on his lips and then the noise of Ben returning broke through his thoughts and he turned and left the room, shutting the door as quietly as he had opened it.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex woke to the enticing smell of scrambled eggs and toast. He yawned and sat up slowly, his eyes bleary with sleep. He glanced at his watch. It was 2:17 pm. He had been asleep for over four and a half hours.

When he finally arrived downstairs it was to find all four SAS men occupying the living room as usual, plates balanced on their laps, talking quietly and sipping coffee. They stopped talking the moment they saw him. He noticed with a slightly apprehensive feeling that a large file was resting on the arm of Eagle's chair with his name and an official looking stamp on the front.

"How you feeling?" Ben asked looking genuinely concerned.

"Fine." Alex answered automatically.

Ben shot him a skeptical look but Alex chose to ignore it. The atmosphere of the room was suddenly decidedly awkward.

"So whats the news on our two friends?" Alex asked lightly in an attempt to break the tension.

"The collection team picked them up as planned. We won't know any more until they go in for interrogation at Liverpool Street tonight." Wolf replied, his voice detached but his eyes boring into Alex's in a most disconcerting way.

There was another uncomfortable silence and Alex's apprehension mounted.

"There's some scrambled eggs in the kitchen if you're hungry," Ben suddenly said in a gentle voice. "Bread is in the bread bin, coffee in the cupboard above the kettle."

Alex nodded gratefully and hurried out into the kitchen.

The others watched him go and after a few minutes Snake stood up and followed him.

Alex was leaning against the counter top when he entered the kitchen, sipping a mug of hot strong black coffee and waiting for the toaster to ping. He straightened up when he saw Snake and put his coffee down on the counter. Snake almost flinched when he saw the guarded, wary look in his eyes.

"Wolf had no right to show my file off like that," Alex said quietly before the older man could speak.

"Don't blame him. I pretty much demanded it," Snake said with something that might have been a smile.

Alex frowned. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Snake asked raising his eyebrow.

"No." Alex replied firmly.

Snake sighed. "Well it might have been something to do with the huge ugly scar two centimeters above your heart," he suggested.

"Oh. That." Alex said and Snake opened his mouth in disbelief. This was not the reaction he had been expecting.

"Is that all you can say? You got shot! By a sniper! Outside London Head Quarters!"

Alex grinned. "Really? I never noticed!"

Snake gaped at him.

"Listen," Alex said suddenly serious. "That was quite a while ago now. Well a lot has happened since then anyway... And it doesn't even hurt anymore. Well a bit, but not much."

Snake continued to gape and then the toaster pinged and Alex set about fixing his meal.

"You talk about it as if it was nothing!" Snake finally managed to say.

"That's because it is. To me. That part of my life is over." Alex said firmly and he brushed past Snake back into the living room.

**Sorry that nothing exciting happened in this chapter. But at least it was long. Ish. Oh and how do you feel about Snake being called Luke? I thought of names for him, Eagle and Wolf before I even started this fic. Hope you like! Oh and when I put 'Page Break' that's cus I want a page break! Lol. Enjoy! Crystal X **

**PS. I cannot be bovered to think of proper chapter titles anymore so I am just going to call them whatever I find amusing at the time! X **


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex ****Rider series**

**Chapter Seventeen**

**In Which Alex Finds Out Something**

When Snake recovered enough to follow Alex into the living room it was to find that the kid hadn't stuck around.

"He's gone up to his room," Ben said noticing his questioning gaze.

"Yeah. And he sort of took his file with him..." Eagle said sheepishly.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex was lying flat on his stomach on his bed, the file open in front of him. He had read it through and despite it's thickness it wasn't particularly detailed which he was glad of. He was also relieved that there was no mention of Yassen Gregovorich or his time spent with Scorpia at the Training and Assessment Center on Malagosto.

For a few moments he led quietly, knowing that downstairs K Unit were probably just waiting to interrogate him. But they also might have news. He rolled over and checked his watch. 3:05 pm. With a sigh he stood up, collected his empty plate and mug from his bedside table and made his way downstairs.

He was surprised to find Wolf, Snake and Eagle all crouched around the pine coffee table playing cards. It just seemed an extremely absurd thing for them to be doing. Ben watching them with raised eyebrows from his armchair seemed to agree.

Wolf looked up as he came in but didn't say anything so he merely walked through to the kitchen, deposited his plate and mug in the sink and then returned to the living room, dropping down into the vacant armchair and placing the file on the arm next to him. He was relived that the mood in the room hadn't dropped when he came in and for a while he was happy to listen to the half hearted arguing coming from the coffee table as Wolf and Snake disputed the rules of Poker Bull. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

It took them a little while to realise Alex had drifted off. "Are we so boring that he actually fell asleep?" Eagle asked in a stage whisper. Ben snorted.

"Leave him. He's bound to be tired." Snake replied quietly, still concentrating on the card game.

"He doesn't look so dangerous now does he!" Eagle scoffed, grinning widely.

Wolf glanced over at the sleeping boy. It was true. For once Alex looked peaceful. Suddenly as they were watching, his face tightened in pain and his hand subconsciously snaked towards his chest.

"It still hurts him," Snake said bitterly. There was a silence as they all thought their own private thoughts.

Then, Wolf felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and wandered out into the hall.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex woke to the sound of the living room door closing and sat up instantly. Eagle looked over at him with a grin. "Hello Sleeping Beauty!" He said loudly and Alex winced as pain hammered at his head.

Snake noticed and gave Eagle a reproaching look to which Eagle responded with his most innocent face. "Take some more painkillers." Ben suggested to Alex over the top of a newspaper. Alex was beginning to wonder if Ben had some kind of fetish, he never seemed to see him without a newspaper nearby.

He stood up and stretched an then padded slowly out into the kitchen and fetched the small bottle of painkillers from the cupboard above the sink. He shook two out and dry swallowed them before replacing the bottle. Just as he was about to shut the cupboard door he noticed a prescription bag tucked at the back of the cupboard. This shouldn't have been unusual, after all it was a medicine cupboard crammed with various bottles of pills, bandages and plasters but it surprised Alex that one of the K Unit needed a prescription. On impulse he reached in and took the starched white paper bag out and read the label on the front.

**Matthew Sandwood **

**Chlonidine 0.2mg daily. **

Alex frowned. Clonidine was used in the treatment for tourette's syndrome. Suddenly the kitchen door opened and he quickly shoved the prescription bag back into the cupboard and turned around trying to look innocent. He was met by a quizzical looking Ben who stared at him for a few moments and then went over to the fridge. Alex took this as his queue to leave and hurried back out into the living room.

He slumped back down into his chair, noting that his file had disappeared from the arm and turned over his new found information in his head. Someone here was called Matthew Sandwood and suffered from tourette's. The question was who?

All of a sudden the living room door swung open and Wolf entered from the hall. "That was head quarters," he said guesting to his phone.

**Bah! What a bad chapter. Sorry about the not-so-much-of-a-cliffhanger. But at least I got over the writers block...By the way in no way whatsoever am I making any offense towards tourettes sufferers. I know it is a real aliment and I think that those who have to live with it are very brave people. Thanks for reading. Crystal X **

**Realised I put Jason instead of Matthew. Jason is Wolf's cover name if you remember. I meant to put Matthew. :( Sorry! If you dont like Matthew pm me! I'm not sure about it either... Crystal X **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Truths**

"So...What's the news?" Eagle asked as Ben reappeared from the kitchen.

"Our two friends have been positively identified as Lewis McCoy and Stuart Kingston. Both banged up for manslaughter. In separate interrogation they both admitted to meeting in prison and joining up when they came out. They both said that a man fitting Stryker's description paid them £200 each to kidnap Alex." Wolf shrugged. "That's it."

"And MI6 are sure they're telling the truth?" Snake asked slightly skeptically.

"Both their stories match. There isn't much reason why they would withhold information. They'll be going back in prison for attempted kidnapping and possession of dangerous weapons anyway." Wolf replied and Snake nodded.

"But it still doesn't give MI6 enough information to bring in Stryker. We need information about who he's working with. It'll have to be someone with sufficient fiances and influence to pull off such a large operation."

Alex frowned. For a moment he was silent, lost in thought as the others continued to talk. Then...

"Okay. I want the truth and I want it now." Everyone turned to look at him, Eagle and Snake startled, Ben and Wolf looking resigned. "Either I'm not the only person investigating this for MI6 or their motives go further than they've told me." He said slightly angry.

"What do you mean?" Snake asked also frowning.

"I mean that I'm no bloody use in this operation. The only way which I could find anything out is if I'm kidnapped. And I think that is exactly what MI6 intent to happen." With this he threw a furious look at Wolf.

The older man took a deep breath. "Yes." He said without emotion. "That is exactly what they intend." He sighed slightly and continued. "You won't know this but while you were unconscious MI6 put a tracking chip into your shoulder. The whole point of this operation is to find out where the kids are."

Alex glared at him while he digested this information and then he sat back and breathed out heavily.

"That explains the whole knock-me-out-with-a-tranquilizer-dart thing." He said with a slight smile. "But why didn't they just tell me?"

"They didn't think you'd do it," Wolf said.

"Even with this whole death threat thing? Unless they made that up." Alex said bitterly.

"No that's real enough." Wolf answered humorlessly.

"But if they'd told me they could have given me more useful gadgets. The laptops not going to be any good and if I were kidnapped they'd probably take my watch off me to." Alex protested.

"Those contacts Smithers gave you. They do more than change your eye colour. Don't ask me how all that technical shi...crap works but there's some sort of sophisticated camera lens in them. They haven't been activated yet because they only work for forty eight hours but when they are working, basically whatever you see, MI6 see. As for defence measures. I think you can be a little creative..." Wolf replied.

"And when exactly were you planning to tell me this?" Alex asked.

"We weren't." Wolf said coldly.

Alex nodded and took a deep breath, cooling his anger. "Okay. Well if that's the case then how come you didn't just let McCoy and Kingston take me." He questioned finally.

"Well. Three reasons. One you took out Kingston and looked set to do the same to McCoy. Two McCoy shot at you. Three..." Wolf trailed off and looked over at Eagle and Snake who were looking positively furious.

"Three. Snake, Eagle and Fox didn't know about this." Snake said coldly.

Ben suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Actually..."

Alex had a feeling that things were about to get out of control very quickly. Before he could say anything however Wolf broke in. "Shut up and that's an order!" He bellowed and everyone fell quiet. Wolf turned to Alex.

"Listen Cub, sorry about the whole lying to you thing but I had orders and you should know neither me nor Ben are exactly over the moon about all this. But orders are orders. Eagle, Snake, life's a bitch. Deal with it." Eagle grinned and even Snake couldn't help a faint smile. For a moment there was silence.

"So what happens now?" Alex asked.

"That depends on what you want to do. You can pull out or you can stay. It's that simple." Wolf said harshly.

"How can I leave now?" Alex said as an answer.

Wolf nodded and gave him a look that could almost have been approving.

"You're scary when you're in a defensive mood." Eagle said suddenly, making everybody look at him.

"What!" Wolf growled.

"See what I mean?" Eagle said, laughing and then fell quiet as Wolf's face darkened murderously.

"Drop it." Ben advised quietly and Eagle wisely took his advice.

Alex slumped back in his armchair feeling drained and Wolf dropped into the second one.

Ben, Eagle and Snake all stood silently watching the rain which had been thundering down all afternoon.

Then, "So tell us Cub, how'd you get involved with MI6 anyway?"

Alex felt something close to horror filter through his thoughts as he turned to gape at Eagle, who had spoken. He had known the quiet was too good to last.

**Another chapter. I'm practical giving them out like sweets now aren't I. Well I'm not putting another up until I reach the fifty review mark. Only one review counts per person. Mwha ha ha. I doubt you really care but... I still get my sadistic kicks out of it! Crystal X**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Matthew Sandwood**

Alex continued to glare at Eagle for a few seconds but with four sets of eyes burning into him, he knew he was going to have to answer sooner or later. "I...It's complicated," he said carefully and turned away to stare out the window at the damp grey street.

"So, we have all afternoon...and night," Eagle replied with a faintly evil looking grin.

Alex frowned and reluctantly dragged his gaze back to K Unit.

"My uncle worked for them... He got killed on the job and I was sent in to clean up his mess," Alex said eventually.

Snake raised an eyebrow. "They recruited you just like that?" He asked dryly.

"Yeah...just like that," Alex muttered with a wry smile.

"But your parents must have had some objections against it," Wolf said, brow furrowed.

"Oh, I'm sure they did," Alex replied, suddenly deciding that a patch of carpet at his feet was of extreme interest.

"What do you mean?" Ben asked with a small frown.

"They're sort of...dead," Alex explained, grimly continuing to study the carpet. "They died in a plane crash when I was small." He knew this was a lie but it was easier than explaining about Scorpia...and Ash. He stood up suddenly. "I'm going to go out now."

"In the rain?" Eagle asked.

"Yes." With that Alex turned and went out into the hallway, pulled on his trainers and stood out into the rain. For a second he stood there, allowing the rain water to stream down his face. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions. When he opened his eyes again a certain calm had settled over him. He paused for a moment, breathing heavily and then he lurched forward and began to run.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Half an hour later Alex Rider was sat on a log somewhere on the edges of the scrub-land that lay behind Charlestown Road, opposite the school. The clump of trees he was sitting under offered him some protection from the pounding rain but he was still soaking, his hair plastered across his forehead, his clothes clinging heavily to him. He had been sat here for a while.

Suddenly he stood up, his entire body taut like a wild animal ready to flee. He listened for a moment and then visibly relaxed.

"Eagle?" He called out tentatively.

"How the bloody hell did you know it was me?" An indignant voice replied as the SAS man practically fell into the clearing.

Alex shrugged. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Wolf sent me to make sure you 'didnt get into any trouble.' If you ask me, he's being a bit hopeful if he thinks _I_ can stop you from blundering into something dangerous. It's just in your character. You'd need a god damn apocalypse to stop you finding the most life threatening situation you can and throwing yourself into it." Eagle answered sounding faintly annoyed.

Alex almost smiled.

"You know, it's bloody wet Cub. And cold. Are you planning to go back any time soon?" The older man said, shivering to punctuate his sentence.

"Yeah. I guess." Alex said after a moment and stood up.

Together they walked back through the young leafless trees, their feet rustling over the fallen leaves and wet green grass.

"What's your name?" Alex asked suddenly as they stepped back out onto the street.

"Oh... Matthew. Matthew Sandwood."

**Very short chapter. Just a bit of a teaser. Will put up a longer one soon. Crystal X **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty**

**A Long Day and Getting Longer**

When they arrived back at the house Alex hurried upstairs and into the shower. Once he was finished he shouted downstairs to Eagle - Matthew - that the shower was empty and then retreated to his room.

For a while he laid flat on his stomach and attempted to order his thoughts. All sorts of emotions were scrabbling for attention inside his head and it was impossible to focus on one thought. It had been a long day.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf looked up as Eagle re-entered the living room from having his shower. There was a blue towel wrapped around his neck, catching the drips from his damp hair. He was frowning.

"What's up?" Ben asked from his armchair, also noticing the younger man's expression.

"Nothing...It's just that Cub asked for my real name just now and when I told him he looked...surprised," Eagle explained pulling a face. "Do you think he could have..." He trailed off and glanced towards the kitchen.

Ben followed his gaze looking slightly worried. "I saw him earlier when he was getting some painkillers, he looked a bit guilty about something..." He said slowly.

"I shouldn't have left it in the med cupboard! I put it behind this big blue box of something but..." Eagle cut himself off, looking borderline distraught.

"I'm sure it's not a problem. Cub probably just feels guilty about intruding on your privacy," Snake intoned calmly from the floor, still pursuing the pages of his medical book.

"Yeah...Someone should probably go and talk to him..." Eagle answered looking around hopefully. After a moment of silence he stood up. "I guess I'll go then..."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex sat up as someone knocked at his door. "Come in!" He called out and the door opened to reveal a subdued looking Eagle.

"Hey Cub!" He smiled weakly.

"Hey," Alex replied uncertainly.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence he suddenly said, "If this is about the Chlonidine then I'm really sorry. I was just curious and... I shouldn't have...I'm sorry." It all came out very quickly and once he was done he was surprised to see a glint of amusement in Eagle's eyes.

"Typical super spies. Always sticking their noses where they aren't wanted." He tutted. There was a brief pause and then he continued in a more serious tone. "So... I guess you know it's used in the treatment of tourette's syndrome?"

Alex nodded, fiddling nervously with the bed cover.

"I've had it since I was a kid. It used to be pretty bad then but now it's much more manageable," Eagle continued, his dark brown eyes seeking out Alex's false green ones. "It doesn't affect my work with the SAS in the slightest."

Alex looked up and met his gaze. "Okay." He said quietly. "Sorry for snooping."

Eagle grinned. "You shouldnt be. You're a spy. That's what they do!"

"True," Alex grinned back and stood up, glancing at his watch. 5:41 pm. "Wow. Time's flown by." He remarked.

"I know. I'm starving!" Eagle replied heading out through Wolf's bedroom and onto the landing. Alex snorted and followed him down the stairs.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Two hours, a very large Chinese order, four beers and eleven games of cards later and Alex's file turned up again.

"This isnt very detailed..." Ben muttered as he flicked through it. "See!" He exclaimed suddenly showing them the second to last page. "Barely a mention of me!"

"What?" Eagle asked.

"I worked with Alex on his last mission." Ben explained. "Didn't I tell you guys that?"

"You told me," Wolf muttered.

"And me!" Snake added.

Eagle glowered at Ben and muttered darkly before draining the last of his JuncTown Brown Ale.

"Why do you drink that crap?" Wolf asked watching him with distaste.

"I grew up on it," Eagle shrugged. "Why stop drinking it now?"

Alex who had stolen a sip of the pale brown liquid while no-one was looking was inclined to agree with Wolf. The sweet malty taste was defiantly too overpowering for his liking.

"Why can't you just drink normal stuff like Fosters or Guinness?" Wolf asked.

"Why can't you? You always drink that ridiculous smoked beer stuff if you have the choice!" Eagle answered.

"On occasions! But you drink that rubbish all the..!" Wolf stopped talking as he realised both Alex and Ben were laughing at his expense. "I don't know why you're grinning!" He growled at Alex. "You're to young to know anything about beer!"

Alex snorted and glanced over at his file which was lying, open, in Ben's lap. He read the page quickly. It was a brief outline of his first mission, Stormbreaker.

"Doesnt even mention the Portuguese man-o-war," He murmered to himself, still marveling about how little information there was in the file.

Unfortunately Eagle heard him. "Excuse me?" He spluttered over a mouthful of leftover Mu Shu Pork.

"Nothing!" Alex said, too quickly, inwardly cursing himself.

"No, not nothing! You just said something about a Portuguese man-o-war!" Eagle accused.

"Did not!" Alex parried.

By now everyone was looking at him with questioning eyes. "Explain!" Wolf demanded and Alex reluctantly stopped protesting.

"On my first mission, I sort of got caught and...well they weren't too happy with me, so they sort of...dumped me in a giant fish tank with a Portuguese man-o-war..." He explained warily.

"Ouch!" Eagle winced at the same time as Ben asked. "How did you get out?"

"Well I had this...gadget. It was a cream that ate through metal. Anyway, the tank was held together by a framework of iron girders that fitted around the corners on both the inside and outside of the glass with the metal faces held together by rivets. So I just used the cream on the rivets, the tank busted and I escaped." Alex said with a shrug.

"Just how many close calls have you had?" Snake asked disbelievingly.

Alex began to count and Snake watched with evident horror as he lifted finger after finger.

"Don't answer! Please! Don't answer!" He mock-begged.

Alex grinned uncertainly.

**Yay! My longest ever chapter! It's taken long enough to write! Lol. Crystal X **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**Sender Unknown**

The next morning dawned wet and cold, the oppressive grey clouds bleached heavily with red.

Alex woke early and for a long while he just led in his bed, wondering - dreading - what the day ahead might bring. Finally he forced himself to get up. Opening his door slightly he clarified that Wolf's room was empty. Making a quick decision he shut the door and dragged his laptop out from it's hiding place. Powering it up he opened his inbox. 1 new message. Sender unknown.

Alex considered. Wolf had told him not to open any unknown emails without telling him. But it could be from anyone. But what if it wasn't. Wolf would be furious. But did he even care. The man had lied to him after all. But that wasn't fair. Wolf had just been following orders. He hesitated then hit the 'open' button.

**I have a game for you. Click here to play. **

Alex swore under his breath. Wolf was going to go mad. He picked up the laptop and reluctantly made his way downstairs.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf drained the last of his coffee and forced down a yawn as he glanced around the living room. Ben was occupying the second armchair and, as ever, reading a newspaper. Both Snake and Eagle were in the kitchen. He could hear the gentle murmur of their conversation. Suddenly the living room door swung open to reveal a guilty looking Cub, a laptop balanced on the crook of his arm. "I may have accidental opened another email," he explained innocently.

A few minutes later the entire K Unit was grouped around the laptop that Alex had placed on the coffee table.

"This is creepy..." Eagle murmured.

"Tell me about it," Alex replied tiredly.

"What do we do? That link might be important," Ben asked Wolf worriedly.

Wolf closed his eyes, his mouth set in a hard line. When he opened his eyes again a steely certainty had settled over them. He reached out and clicked the link.

The screen went blank.

"What happened?" Eagle whispered.

Then a line of bold white letters flashed up.

_I'm sorry. This game is only for Alex. _

"Shit!" Wolf exclaimed. "He can see us!"

"Don't worry," Alex answered. "He's just hacked into the web cam. He can't see anything that gives away our location."

The first sentence disappeared to be replaced by five words.

_Very good Alex. I'm impressed._

Then the screen flashed bright white before reverting to Alex's inbox.

"Well, that was freaky..." Eagle muttered.

"What do we do now?" Alex said to nobody in particular.

"I'll take the laptop in to the local branch and they can pass it on to the Royal and General," Wolf replied.

"Local branch?" Alex asked confused.

"MI6 has branches all over England. There is one roughly forty minutes away." Wolf explained. "Now, shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

Alex nodded.

"Remember what I said. MI6 has arranged everything, there are police reports, hospital reports, the whole lot. There is nothing to suggest to Stryker that anything is amiss." Wolf said, possibly trying to sound reassuring but failing.

"Okay. So all I have to do is act my part." Alex replied and Wolf dipped his head in agreement.

"I think someone better walk you to school..." he mused suddenly.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

"Why do we have to do this again?" Alex groaned as he walked through the school car park, Eagle skipping at his heels. He was a hardened SAS operative and he was _skipping_.

"Because a normal father would not let his son walk to school on his own after being attacked!" Eagle explained in a mock patient voice.

"Yes, but why you! Out of the four of you why did I get landed with Bambi!" Alex complained with a humorless laugh.

"Bambi?" Eagle stopped skipping and arranged his features into a hurt expression.

Alex grinned and continued to walk.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

The school day passed quickly for Alex. There had been an initial interest in the attack on Alex the day before but after Alex had explained what had happened a few times over the interest had thinned out, for which he was grateful for.

After school he made his way over to the playing field.

"Hey Sterling! I heard about what happened yesterday! Are you good to play?" Stryker shouted over to him.

"Yeah! I just have to be careful of my shoulder!" Alex shouted back. He couldn't stop a shadow of fear flutter across his mind as he looked at the man who had ordered the attack on him the day before.

"Good. I've already lost my goalie I don't want to lose my center back as well!" Stryker answered.

Alex jogged towards the changing rooms feeling oddly sick.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

The practise lasted for over an hour despite the slick of rain that pressed down on them. Alex made his way back to the changing rooms with the others but once he was changed instead of going home he made his way over to the school.

He slipped into the unlocked building unnoticed. Despite the fact that is was already 4:30 pm the school was still a hive of activity with students filtering out from extra credit classes and teachers finishing their marking. Alex hurried along the hallway, undisturbed.

He reached a set of stairs leading up to the first floor and thundered up them, there, right in front of him was the door to Stryker's office. He walked forward and tried the door handle. As he had expected it was locked. He slipped something from his pocket. It was a long, slim wire Alex had taken from the DT room scrap box. He knelt to examine the lock and then fed the wire in, twisting and contorting it until he heard the click that signified the door had been unlocked.

He reached out and pushed the door open.

It led into a small simple room with cream walls, cream carpeting, an oak desk, a metal filling cabinet... Alex shut the door and moved over to the desk and opened the first drawer. There was a sheaf of papers inside but flicking through them they all seemed innocent enough. He pulled out the next drawer and found a leather bound notepad. He flipped it open and rifled through the pages. There wasn't much in them apart from a few phone numbers, addresses and names which he memorised before moving on to the third and final drawer.

Before he could examine the contents of said drawer however, the door to the office opened and Stryker walked in.

**Yay! Over 1000 words again! Bit more action in this chapter and am trying to move the story foward a bit. Please review and hope you enjoyed! Bye for now! Crystal X **


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

"Alex what are you..." Stryker started and then cut himself off, walking further into the room and shutting the door behind him. "Never mind," he muttered reaching into his jacket and producing a WIST-94L semi-automatic pistol. "We're taking a drive."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Eagle had been on watch all day. He was led, rather awkwardly, on the hard frozen ground beneath the bushes that lined the school car park. It was the perfect cover but distinctly uncomfortable and Eagle was envious of the others, sat in the warm. Even Alex got to sit in comfort while he was in the school. But he knew that each of K Unit had already had a turn at watching the building and each of them had suffered the same discomfort. This made him feel a little better.

Then suddenly he got to see some action.

The foyer doors hissed open and he glanced up. Sure enough there was Cub. But he was walking funnily, all stiff and tensed. A moment later Eagle saw why. Stryker was following him, his right hand suspiciously hidden in the material of his jacket.

"Shit," Eagle breathed, watching as Stryker directed Cub over to his rather beat up, red Land Rover Defender. A moment later they were both inside the vehicle and roaring off down the road. Eagle crawled carefully out from his cover and then flipped his phone open. Hitting speed dial he lifted it to his ear.

"Wolf..."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Stryker was completely relaxed, his left hand resting on the steering wheel of the car, his other pointing the WIST-94L at Alex. He'd turned on the radio and was humming along, apparently forgetting about his extra passenger.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked after a few minutes.

"You'll see..." Stryker replied absently. Alex frowned. Styker wasn't behaving like a typical kidnapper should. He didn't even look like a typical kidnapper should. He was young - his file said he was twenty-two - and handsome and even now he was wearing a lopsided smile.

"So...How's school treating you?" Stryker asked suddenly, completely out of the blue.

Alex blinked, momentarily stunned.

"Er... you know, the usual. Until just now when my football coach pulled a gun on me..." He replied eventually.

Stryker laughed.

Alex blinked again. It seemed to him that the world had twisted out of shape. Stryker - the enemy he reminded himself - was acting more at ease with Alex than K Unit could ever be and they were supposedly the good guys. It was very disconcerting to have a barrel of the gun pointing at you and it's owner laughing and making small talk.

They continued to drive for a long while and then they pulled over in a quiet country lane. Alex's heart began to thud. Why had they stopped here? He turned to face Stryker just in time to see the gun swinging round and then it hit the side of his head with a resounding crack and everything went dark.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex's new year resolution had been never to get involved with MI6 again but seeing as that one had gone out the window, never to be knocked out with a gun again sounded tempting. Or perhaps just never to be knocked out again.

He had woken in a small white cell. It was roughly nine paces long and five paces wide. Alex's head was hurting too hard for him to figure that out in meters, or feet. The cell contained a metal bunk with a mattress so thin Alex couldn't see the point of it. There was a toilet and a sink behind a screen and a naked light bulb set behind wire mesh in the ceiling. That was it.

As soon as he had woken up he had checked the door but there was no handle or keyhole - the only way to open it was from the other side - and it was closed flush to the wall. He wasn't getting out that way. The floor was concrete, the walls and ceiling metal like the door. He was forced to admit he was well and truly trapped.

After checking for bugs - he didn't find any but that didn't mean there wasn't any - Alex had run out of things to do. It amused him to admit it but he was bored. He sighed and slumped back against the cold metal wall, it looked like he was in for a wait.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

The atmosphere in the house at Charlestown Road was tense. Wolf was drawing up notes and plans on the coffee table as he received hourly updates from MI6.

Eagle and Ben had taken up the rest of the table as they checked and rechecked their weaponry. Taking apart and cleaning their G3 Assault Rifles, checking the blades on their Commando Combat knives and counting out their heavy 7.62mm NATO rounds.

Snake had covered the floor space in equipment and was busy packing the various items up into four large canvas Bergen rucksacks.

By seven pm they would be ready to move out.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex was half asleep when he heard the sound of a key in the lock on his cell door. He scrambled to his feet, instantly awake and watched passively as the door scraped open to reveal a tall muscular figure, an MP5 sub machine gun slung over his shoulder. The man's dark brown eyes flicked over him briefly and then he stood aside, allowing Stryker to enter the cell. Alex felt a surge of dislike.

"Hello Alex. I bet you're wondering why you are here..."

**Finally complete! Yay! Sorry it's a little short. Okay question time... Do you want Alex to die at the end of Alone or do you want a sequel? That's it for now. Thanks for reading. Please review! Crystal X **

**PS. Not sure about my gun info, so if I have got something wrong please tell! **


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Alex made himself tense as Stryker came further into the room and deliberately quickened his breathing. He knew that to maintain his cover, he had to act scared.

Stryker stopped a few feet away from Alex and ran an eye over him.

"Come with me." He said, turning and walking out of the cell. Alex followed him warily and found himself in a small, plain corridor, lined with metal doors. Stryker led him down the hall towards a flight of stairs, the guard close behind.

Stopping at the last door before the stairs, Stryker took out a key which he inserted into the lock. Then he pushed the door open to reveal a small plain room, not unlike the one Alex had just left except that instead of a bunk there was a stainless steel desk and two wooden chairs. It reminded Alex of an interrogation room.

Stryker took a seat on the far side of the desk and gestured for Alex to sit down on the other. Alex complied slowly, watching the guard out of the corner of his eye.

"Right, let's get straight to business Rider, I don't have much time..."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Gerry Pullman had been in this job for a long time. Too long, he reflected gazing around the room. All around him technicians were sat in small soundproof booths, talking into head sets, watching and editing video feed, hands flying over keyboards with practised ease. Gerry smiled slightly to himself. His team were the best. They had to be. They wouldn't be with MI6 if they weren't.

He began to stroll down the aisles, making sure things were running smoothly. As he was walking past one particular booth the technician occupying it suddenly froze, wide eyes fixed on the screen in front of him. Gerry pushed open the door.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"It's the Rider kid. He's been exposed..."

"How!"

"I'm not sure. I was just watching the live feed from Smither's contacts..."

Gerry grabbed the man's headset, ignoring the torrent of confused words that were pouring from his mouth. Pulling the headset over his ears he spoke urgently into the mouth piece.

"Hello Communications. Pullman here. I need an emergency connection established with Miss Jones..."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf was getting impatient. They had a full twenty minutes until the all clear from MI6 to drive out to location and begin surveillance.

Everything was ready and packed up in the Jeep.

Everybody was silent, tense, prepared. Waiting for the call to tell them to move out.

Wolf stood up and began to pace. Fox was drumming his fingers on the coffee table, Snake checking and rechecking his Browning Hi-Power handgun, Eagle shifting restlessly by the window, staring out into the darkness.

And then suddenly Wolf's phone rang. But it was too early. Something was wrong. Wolf lifted the mobile to his ear.

After a few moments he ended the call and turned to his teammates.

"Alex's been exposed. We've been told to move out immediately. We'll get further orders on location."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

"What did you just call me?" Alex asked, his voice measured, hiding the panic that was clawing at his stomach.

"Rider. That is your name isn't it, Alex?" Stryker replied in a taunting voice.

"No. My name is Alex Sterling," Alex replied, feigning confusion.

"A convincing act but a futile one. I know exactly who you are..."

"You don't, my name isn't Alex Rider!" Alex protested, allowing a note of frustration into his voice.

Styker suddenly looked bored. He gestured to the guard who came up behind Alex and pinned his hands behind his back.

"Well, if you're so certain I guess you won't mind us double checking..." Stryker said silkily, standing up and walking over to stand over him.

"How do you mean?" Alex asked, suddenly anxious.

Stryker smirked and then raised a fist.

Alex gasped as he struck him hard in the chest. The heavy blow ignited a flare of hot searing pain. It was suddenly becoming hard to breath. His vision was flickering violently.

Through his agony he heard Stryker speaking softly.

"Scorpia never forgive, Scorpia never forget."

**Hmmm... Had real problems writing this. My writers block is real bad... :( Hope it's okay and not too bad. I know it's short but at least it's something. Please give me your opinion on it! Feel free to criticize! Sorry if it's rubbish. Thanks for reading anyway! Crystal X **

**PS. I think I may have got the 'Scorpia never forget, Scorpia never forgive' the wrong way round. Please tell me if I have! Thanks. **

**Okay, I did get it wrong but have changed it now! Thanks Jusmine!!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Nobody spoke as the Jeep roared down the M60.

Wolf was driving fast, almost erratically, weaving in and out of traffic. His mouth set in a hard line, his dark grey eyes drilling into the road ahead of him.

Fox and Snake were exchanging worried looks in the back while Eagle sat rigidly in his seat next to Wolf, wishing he hadn't insisted on calling shotgun.

"Wolf... Are you okay?" Fox asked tentatively after a particularly close call with a tesco lorry.

"Of course I'm okay." Wolf answered, suddenly wrenching the steering wheel around, switching lanes and barely missing a side on collision with a Nissan X-Trail.

Fox winced slightly. "Are you sure?"

Wolf shot a frown at him in the rear-view mirror in response.

"Okay..." Fox said slowly and then hesitated. "Do you want me to drive?"

Eagle looked suddenly hopeful.

"My Jeep. I drive." Wolf answered.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Stryker stood over Alex, watching detachedly as he stiffened in pain, his jaw clenched, his eyes closed.

"That hurt didn't it Rider?" He said smoothly as Alex relaxed slightly, opening his eyes and drawing a deep breath.

Alex didn't reply, he just glared up at him and attempted to jerk his wrists out of the guards hold.

Stryker smirked. "MI6 made a big mistake sending you to me... I recognized you the moment I saw you. Alex Rider. Teenage super-spy." His spoke sarcastically. "I've heard a lot about you..."

"Sorry," Alex said. "I can't say the same about you."

Stryker seemed to consider for a second and then he went back over to his seat and sat down, gesturing at the guard to let go of Alex's wrists. Immediately Alex pulled his hands in front of him and rubbed the circulation back into his fingers.

"My name is, of course, not James Stryker. But neither is it of importance to you. What may interest you is the fact that I am working with some old...acquaintances of yours. Namely the criminal organisation Scorpia." Stryker leaned back in his chair and his eyes flickered briefly over Alex's blank face.

"They're not happy with you at all Alex... You're responsible for the death of two of their very important board members. They were very annoyed with you indeed."

"They made a deal with MI6. They can't do anything to me." Alex said flatly.

"Maybe not. But I can." Stryker sat forward, his golden eyes fixed on Alex's green ones. He frowned suddenly. "You're wearing contacts." He said, more to himself, than to Alex.

"Take them out." He commanded suddenly.

Alex didn't move.

"Take them out. Or I will." Stryker repeated, his voice dangerously calm.

Alex hesitated and then complied. He had no doubt that Stryker would go through with his threat. And somehow the idea didn't seem that tempting.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf's phone went off as they crossed the M65. They had joined the M61 ten minutes ago and were about to join the M6.

They were roughly forty-five minutes from location - Alex's tracking device was sending out a signal from a piece of wasteland thirty-nine miles away in Over Kellet, Carnforth.

Everyone stared as the phone vibrated on the dash board and then Eagle snatched it up.

"Hello?" He said lifting it to his ear.

He listened seriously for a few seconds and gave a few short words before hanging up.

"They've lost connection to the video feed from Smither's contact lenses." He explained, putting the phone back on the dashboard. "They have no idea what's going on now but there was a mention of a direct link with Scorpia before the feed cut out."

Fox swore, loudly.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Smithers sighed as he ran a hand over the laptop, the plastic cool and smooth under his skin.

He knew the situation Alex was currently in - he was friends with Gerry Pullman, the head technician - and he couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Poor kid. He was only fourteen. He should be at school, not being sent on suicidal missions by Special Operations.

He decided that once this whole mess was sorted out, he would strongly recommend for Alex not to be used again. It was the least he could do for him. Even if he did still owe him a bike.

Smithers sat down and flipped open the laptop, and immediately accessed Alex's inbox. The computer had arrived earlier that day from the Manchester branch with a stamp saying 'Most Urgent.'

Alan Blunt had filled Smithers in about the situation with Alex's anti-social email correspondent.

Sighing again, Smithers opened the offending email.

**I have a game for you. Click here to play. **

Smithers almost rolled his eyes. It sounded like something from a bad film.

He clicked the link. Immediately the screen went black.

_I'm sorry. This game is only for Alex. _

The letters flashed up, bold and white. Exactly the same as what had come up previously for K Unit.

_Alex isn't here and I am not interested in playing games. _Smithers typed.

There was a pause and he wondered if it had worked.

Then the first sentence vanished, to be replaced by a second.

_What are you interested in Adam Smithers? _

Smithers paused and frowned. That was unexpected. He took a deep breath.

_Who are you? What do you want with Alex Rider? _He typed, ignoring the question.

_I want to play a game with him. _

_What sort of game? _Smithers typed.

The screen went black, flickered slightly and then reverted to Alex's inbox. Frowning, he clicked on the link again.

Nothing happened.

**So... What do you think? I must apologize for my geography skills. I have never visited Manchester or the surrounding area, so if I have made any mistakes with the road names and such please tell me. Also sorry for the last bit. 'I want to play a game with him.' That sounds... awful. But I need the 'anti-social email correspondent' to sound like a sadistic nutcase. Have I pulled it off? Please review and tell me what you think! Crystal X **


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Stryker held out a hand for Alex's contacts once the boy had finished removing them. Alex glanced down at the thin curved pieces of PMMA and then dropped them into the man's palm.

Stryker held them up to the light and examined them briefly before crushing them between his thumb and forefinger. The fragile PMMA splintered with little effort and he scattered the tiny spears of Plexiglas onto the concrete floor.

Alex watched him passively, hiding his panic under a well practised mask.

"Why did MI6 send you into North Manchester High School? How much do they think they know?" Stryker demanded, suddenly brusque, businesslike.

Alex didn't say anything.

"Rider," Stryker said in an annoyed voice. "You can make this hard on yourself or you can make it easy. Tell me what I want to know and it will be the latter."

Alex was silent for a moment and then he spoke, softly and deliberately.

"Go to hell."

Stryker frowned. "Have it your way then..."

The guard suddenly seized Alex from behind and dragged him to his feet. Alex struggled violently but his grip was like iron.

Stryker walked around the desk, his polished black leather shoes clicking on the floor. He stopped directly in front of Alex and smirked slightly, looking for all the world like an arrogant school boy. Alex briefly considered telling Stryker this but before he could say anything the man had lashed out, his fist connecting with Alex's jaw with a loud crack.

Alex's mouth snapped shut and he tasted the warm metallic tang of blood on his tongue.

Stryker's smirk widened. "Tell me what I want to know, Alex." His voice was quiet, almost gentle.

Alex glared up at him, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Stryker sighed and then began to roll up his sleeves.

"You can try to be noble Rider but all it will bring you is pain. And in the end you will tell me what I want to know." His golden eyes flicked over Alex's face with what might have been a trace of pity in his stare. "They always do."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Fox let out a silent breath of relief as Wolf finally swung the Jeep to a stop, and immediately leapt out into the night to help unload. He heard Snake and Wolf drop down onto the gravel behind him - Eagle seemed to be having a hard time to remove his grip on the dashboard.

They had pulled over in a lay-by at the side of a quiet back road beside a disused railway track in Capernwray. He glanced in the direction of their destination. Deep inky darkness greeted him.

They knew that the terrain they would have to cross to reach location was rough at best, rocky and sheer, dotted with patches of trees and veined with small water sources. They would have to cover a mile and a half of the rocky ground on foot, something that would take them a matter of minutes in the day but up to two hours in the darkness.

Fox reached into the back of the Jeep and took out his Bergen and G3 Assault Rifle, quickly completing a final check and then slung it over his shoulder. His Combat knife was already in place, strapped to his leg and his Browning handgun was also in it's holster at his waist. Satisfied with the condition of his weapons, he shouldered his Bergen and adjusted the straps, waiting for the others.

"Ready?" Wolf asked when everyone was finally finished.

"Ready!" Fox and Eagle chorused while Snake just nodded.

Wolf jerked his Bergen into a more comfortable position and then turned away, striding away from the Jeep, darkness already swallowing him.

Swapping glances, the others followed.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

J Unit were stationed on the south side of the building.

It wasn't anything special. The skeleton of a hotel that had closed down twelve years ago. It was reasonably large with five floors, not including the attic space, and had once been brightly coloured and well kept, the result of a rich American couples dream. But now it was faded and defaced. Each and every window was broken, the door half rotted away, the once honey yellow paintwork hidden with overgrown ivy and fluorescent spray paint.

It looked abandoned, decrepit. But Alan Blunt had told them that a high priority agent was in trouble here.

Their orders were simple.

Wait for back up and then go in, retrieve the agent and neutralise the hostiles. If they happened to find fifty of sixty missing boys in the process then that was icing on the cake.

He checked his watch.

**8:07 pm.**

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex was in a state and he knew it. Blood was pulsing from a cut above his right eye, his lip was split and there was a mottled patch of bruising on jaw. His shirt was torn open, revealing severe bruising around his ribs and chest. His breathing was accelerated and laboured. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of this.

Stryker was stood over him, breathing heavily.

"I can see I am not getting through to you, Rider." He growled. "So let's try this another way."

Alex lifted his head slightly, gazing up at Stryker defiantly, staring him straight in the eye.

"Jack Starbright." Stryker spoke the two words triumphantly. "I have people in London who could pay her a visit."

Alex froze.

Stryker noticed his reaction and his smirk went back into place.

"One more time Alex. Why did MI6 send you to investigate me?"

**Yay! Another chapter complete. So what do you think? Disregarding all the information that I made up about Overt Kellet. Lol. Thanks for reading. Please review! Crystal X **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series. **

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Alex's mind raced. He couldn't let anyone hurt Jack. For a brief moment he felt a wave of fury against Alan Blunt and Miss Jones, the whole stupid set-up. They should never have used him in the first place. And now, when he was in need, they weren't here. It was Point Blanc all over again.

Stryker was watching him expectantly.

Alex took a deep breath, stalling for time, diverting his gaze from Stryker's smug face. Praying that by some miracle, an armed SAS squadron - K Unit would be comforting - would choose this moment to break into the room and rescue him.

He almost laughed. As if. MI6 never put themselves out to save him. He couldn't even be sure that they were bothering to come and get him. Bitterness welled up inside him.

"Alex. I am waiting." Stryker's voice was taunt, impatient.

Feeling suddenly exhausted and defeated Alex dragged his eyes back to Stryker, leveling his gaze with the man's liquid gold eyes.

"MI6 sent me because they'd noticed that boys were going missing. They only had two links between the disappearances. The first link was that all the boys were on their schools football team. The second was that their coach always had a second name that translated roughly into Strike or Striker in English. The coach never stayed more than one term. The disappearances always stopped when the coach left." Alex's voice was rough and tired. He suddenly gave a small smirk.

"It wasn't exactly hard to find the connection. It's almost like you wanted MI6 to notice."

Stryker didn't say anything. His cold gaze remained fixed on Alex's eyes.

"Anyway, MI6 noticed that a man called James Stryker had just been accepted by Manchester High School for Boys as coach for their football team. They were suspicious and decided to send me in to find out what I could. That's it."

"The man posing as you're father. Who is he?" Stryker demanded.

"Some MI6 operative. I was never told his name." Alex replied truthfully.

Stryker nodded slowly. "If you aren't telling the truth, Rider, then I will find out and I will have Miss Starbright eliminated."

Alex remained silent.

Stryker suddenly let out a short laugh. "Alan Blunt is so predictable. We've achieved everything we wanted to."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"Isn't it obvious," Stryker was smiling, thin and cruel. "Scorpia is recruiting."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf was extremely frustrated. They had been on the move for nearly fifty minutes. They just seemed to be walking in circles.

"Eagle, give me that map!" He barked and the reddish haired man complied, handing him the map in it's waterproof cover and the torch.

Wolf focused the beam on the map and studied it quickly.

After a few moments he shoved the items back into Eagle's arms and began to march away.

"Does he know where he's going?" Eagle hissed.

Fox shrugged in reply. "Better follow him."

Snake let out an impatient breath. "We're wasting time, we should be there by now!"

Fox opened his mouth to reply but suddenly Wolf's voice buzzed in his earpiece.

"I've found it. Where the hell are you?"

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex stared at Stryker incredulously.

"What do you mean?" He demanded, feeling slightly sick.

"Those boys, that have gone missing. Scorpia is training them up." Stryker was staring at Alex with something close to arrogance.

"But they're just kids! There's no way they'd be old enough..." Alex started, his voice alarmed but Stryker cut across him.

"They're just as old as you and look at what you've achieved."

"You can't just exploit children like that!" Alex growled furiously.

"Call it what you want, but we are doing it." Stryker replied carelessly. "Besides they won't be operational until they're sixteen at the youngest. Until then, they're just learning."

"But you can't hold them against their will! You can't just take them from their families and turn them into terrorists!" Alex's furious voice echoed around the cell.

"I think you'll find that we can." Stryker's tone was bored.

Alex's heart was pounding. He wanted to call Stryker every dirty word under the sun, wanted to hurt the man in a way he'd never hurt anyone else.

"I'd like to spend some more time getting to know you Alex, but I have a rather pressing engagement." Stryker suddenly produced his WIST-94L and leveled the barrel with Alex's head. "It was nice speaking to you."

His finger tightened on the trigger.

There was a sudden loud bang. Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the bullet. But it never came.

He opened his eyes.

Stryker had never pulled the trigger. He was frozen to the spot, listening intently.

Suddenly there was an explosion of voices from somewhere below them and then rapid gunfire.

"Look's like we've got company." Stryker muttered.

He glanced at Alex. His golden eyes flashed with anger. He grabbed hold of Alex's arm and swung him round, pressing the barrel of the WIST-94L to his temple.

Alex yelled as the sudden movement caused a spear of pain that jabbed at his bruised ribs.

Stryker ignored him and instead dragged him out of the room and down the corridor towards the stairs.

**Sorry, I know this chapter was really predictable. The whole Alex nearly getting shot and then there being a distraction at the last moment thing... Sorry!! Hope you liked anyway. Thanks for reading. Please review. Crystal X **


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series **

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Wolf snarled in anger as a bullet smashed into his Kevlar covered stomach. It hadn't penetrated the thick protective material but he thought it might have cracked a rib.

They were on the bottom floor of the building, having a shoot out with multiple hostiles, all armed with MP5 sub machine guns and Berretta M9's.

He cursed. Their original plan had been for Wolf, Eagle and the four members of J Unit - Panther, Jackal, Tiger and Wolverine - to hold of any hostiles while Fox and Snake slipped past the defences and attempted to locate Alex. It was meant to be simple. They had assumed that the building wouldn't be on very heavy guard. After all Stryker wasn't expecting company. But they were wrong. Nothing was going to plan.

As soon as they broke into the building they were attacked on three sides by at least fifteen hostiles. Tiger had been immediately taken down with a shot to the head and Eagle had received two bullets to his right arm and although he was still using his left hand to shoot Wolf could see the colour draining from his skin as blood pumped from the two ragged wounds.

Wolf sent a burst of NATO rounds at the man who had shot him, watching with satisfaction as he fell back, a line of bullet holes stitched across his chest.

"Eagle!" Wolf muttered, knowing that the other man would be able to hear his voice in his earpiece.

"Yeah." Eagle replied a moment later.

"Stand down. Get your ass to the RV and patch yourself up. Radio HQ and tell them we're in contact and could use some backup." Wolf kept his voice low and urgent. As he spoke, even more hostiles poured into the hallway and began firing.

"Now!" Wolf ordered as Eagle began to argue.

With a dark mutter Eagle agreed and slipped out of Wolf's line of vision.

Wolf took a deep breath and then brought the barrel of his rifle back up again and rejoined the desperate exchange of gunfire.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex struggled violently as Stryker forced him up the stairs, his arms twisted behind him, the WIST-94L still pressed against the side of his head.

Stryker swore as Alex lashed out behind him and struck a lucky blow on the older man's kneecap but he didn't let go and all it earned Alex was a dizzying blow to the back of his head.

A moment later they reached a heavy oak door, behind which the muffled noise of gunshots could be clearly heard. Stryker shoved Alex forward and slammed him against the wall beside the door before reaching for the door handle and kicking it open.

He steered Alex through the doorway and out into a carpeted hallway. To the right of them a swarm of men we're exchanging gunfire, the minority of them clad in fatigues. Bodies littered the floor and the smell of blood hung in the air like some warped and dying flower.

Stryker turned left, dragging Alex with him and took a second staircase up to a balcony that looked down onto the fighting.

Stryker thrust Alex forward and rammed him up against the gilded railing that ran around the edge of the balcony and forced his head down, his arms still pinned behind him, the WIST still held to his temple.

"This is quite unwelcome Rider. I hope you know the trouble you have caused me." Stryker said, his voice low and ugly.

"Glad to hear it," Alex muttered.

Stryker chose to ignore him and instead he took the gun away from the side of Alex's head and reached for something out of Alex's line of vision.

A moment later his voice echoed around the hall above the din of the fighting. He was clearly using some sort of sound system.

"Good evening gentlemen and could I please request that you all stand down and that our special air service friends would please divert their gaze to the balcony. They might find something to interest them."

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Wolf glanced up sharply at the sound of the voice. All around him the shooting ceased and now everybody was focused on the action happening above.

He sucked in a breath as he took in the two figures above him. Alex bent over the railings, his shirt torn open, his hands wrenched behind him, the barrel of a gun pressed against his head. He waited for Stryker to speak again, unconsciously running an eye around the hall, searching for the speakers of which his voice must be coming from.

"Now then," Stryker's voice was soft and silky, almost welcoming. "I'm sure one of you must be in charge down there so, unless your dead, would you kindly come up here? I have a matter to discuss with you. I will please ask you to un-arm yourself first."

Wolf hesitated but before he could act Wolverine spoke up, "You're having a laugh."

"No. I'm being quite serious." Stryker replied, keeping his voice light, casual.

Out of the corner of his eye Wolf could see Snake and Fox watching him. He closed his eyes briefly.

**Page Break Page Break Page Break**

Alex's emotions were like an animal. Untamed and swift. Charging him up with electric energy. Anger, despair, hate. It all became on quick moving ball of fire that burned under his skin.

His coarse harsh breathing mixed with the frantic beating of his heart, drumming out a rhythm that pounded in his ears.

A line of perspiration flowed down his face, following the curve of his jaw.

He closed his eyes.

Silence fell, as loud as gunshots.

With a surge of energy he threw himself back, yanking his wrists out of Stryker's grasp, spinning around and lashing out with his fist, knocking the gun out of Stryker's hand.

Stryker reacted immediately, slamming the heel of his hand into Alex's chest.

Winded and in agony, Alex doubled over and stumbled back into the railings.

Stryker dived down and in one swift movement scooped the gun up from the floor.

He took aim and pulled the trigger.

**I do love cliff hangers. Nice and evil. Mwa ha ha!! :) Anyway...What do you think? I tried to make it a bit longer but then I got to the last bit and I thought hmmm... how about a cliffie? Thanks for reading, and please review. It might make me update quicker... Crystal X **


	28. Note

Please visit my profile. X


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